Good Grief!

My computer is acting up, so writing and posting is becoming more of a challenge than it should be. I think it's almost time for a new laptop....a purchase I've been avoiding all stinking year long. Ugh.

Anyway, since technology is not my friend, I leave you with a quick beauty quote for the day. Be sure to check back in tomorrow for a Beauty Product of the Week!

In the meantime...I think you'll get a kick out of this:

"The average woman would rather have beauty than brains, because the average man can see better than he can think."

-Anonymous

Happy Wednesday!

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Beauty Quote for the Middle of the Week

It's Wednesday! Yay! I'm exhausted and am oh-so ready for the weekend.

Here are two killer quotes for you to ponder today. Because really? Having the right outlook on life can make you feel better...more beautiful.

Both quotes come from ballerina Margot Fonteyn:

"Take your work seriously, but never yourself."

"The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous."

Happy Hump Day! I'm back tomorrow with a Beauty Product of the Week.

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Yay for Sephora!

I'm back from my extended long weekend. After writing this blog for about 4 years, I do need a break every now and then.

Anyway, the Memorial Day weekend was rainy and chilly in the Seattle area, so my husband and I didn't do much. Sometimes a quiet weekend is a good one. One thing I DID do was visit my local Sephora.

Like many of you, I go to Sephora on a regular basis and spend way too much money there at times. That's one of the hazards of being a makeup blogger, I guess! Anyway, usually I just go to Sephora, get what I need and don't think anything else about it. I suppose I take my poor little Sephora for granted to some extent.

When I went over the weekend (to the Alderwood Sephora), I had a great shopping experience. I got what I wanted, sure, but I also got killer customer service. When I checked out, the Sephora girl noticed a problem with my rewards card. She took her time to actually look into the issue and made sure that when I left, my rewards card was properly updated and that I was satisfied with my experience.

So--yay for my local Sephora! Yay for taking time to make sure I was taken care of in a professional, friendly manner. Though I usually take Sephora for granted, I'm glad to find that they don't always take US for granted.

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Be Back Soon!

I'm going to take a very short break from my blogging duties. I'm feeling behind the 8-ball for some reason and am woefully behind in emails, testing products, etc. I should be functional again next week, starting on the Tuesday after Memorial Day.

In the meantime: if you miss me, feel free to read through my old posts (I've been doing this since '06, so there's plenty to read about). If you have any beauty questions or suggestions, go ahead and email me at asklydia@hotmail.com.

When I get back, I'll be giving you plenty of makeup news and posts, including:

• Preview of a new super strong sunblock from Kiehl's
• Hair products for fine and curly hair
• Review of dirt cheap hair products
• Review of skin care products
• Dueling mascara beauty product reviews
  
• and much, much more!

See you the day after Memorial Day--the unofficial start of summer! Have a great week.

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More Human Than Human

Happy Monday! I use Twitter somewhat regularly and follow all sorts of people. The other day, I came across this Twitpic from Perez Hilton and had to laugh. It's just too funny...and too sad.

Photoshopping and retouching is rampant in advertising. And I'm sick of it. I'm tired of seeing PR shots for Sex and the City with Carrie and Co. looking more like aliens than middle-aged women. I'm frustrated by mascara ads where the models are obviously wearing multiple sets of fake lashes. I'm weary of being told that already impossible to attain standards of female beauty have now been replaced by perfection. I am a real woman. I cannot compete with photoshopped freaks...nor do I want to.

What's your take on photoshopped pictures? Do they annoy you? Would you rather see perfection instead of reality? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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Beauty Quote!

I'm having a super busy week, so instead of a Thursday Beauty Product of the Week, I leave you with a quick quote from Laura Mercier:

"I know today that appreciating your own beauty does not come solely from therapy, make up application, or plastic surgery- although these things can help. Rather, it comes from a little door that opens in our minds and helps us celebrate our differences and find pride in our uniqueness."

Have a great weekend! I'll be back with more on Monday.

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Post Mother Day Makeover Opportunity

Yesterday was Mother's Day here in the good old US. Mother's Day may be done, but there's one more chance for your favorite mom to be pampered. Nexxus and Lock of Love are teaming up to honor Mother/Daughter hair donors with a makeover.

My husband has donated to Locks of Love twice--it's a great organization that's certainly worth supporting. Here are the deets on the contest:

Nexxus and Locks of Love invite Facebook fans to enter the “Mother’s Day Makeover Contest” where they can share their stories about why they or their children want to donate hair to this worthwhile cause. Click here to enter contest – Nexxus and Locks of Love Facebook Contest/Sweeps

Any individual or mother/child pair with at least 10 inches of hair they are willing to donate to Locks of Love can enter. See official rules for further details. Facebook fans will participate in choosing the winners from five finalists.

GRAND PRIZE: The grand prize winners will receive a trip for two to NYC and a styling session with Nexxus celebrity stylist Kevin Mancuso. The hair that’s donated will be sent to Locks of Love on the winner’s behalf.

WHERE/WHEN: Between now and May 25th, Nexxus fans will have the opportunity to enter the “Mother’s Day Makeover Contest.”

Submit Entry for Mother/Daughter Contest:
1. Go to Nexxus and Locks of Love Facebook Contest/Sweeps and click “Like”
2. Click on the “Contest/Sweepstakes” tab
3. Follow the provided instructions

Contest Timeline:
* May 5 to May 25th: Submissions accepted
* May 26th: Top five finalists announced
* May 26th to June 2nd: Fans are able to vote on their favorite submissions
* June 7th: Winners announced

ABOUT NEXXUS: Nexxus Salon Hair Care provides the products and expertise to help women achieve beautiful hair for those moments in life when it matters most.

ABOUT LOCKS OF LOVE: Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

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How To Look Good....When You Feel Like Crap!

I'm a relatively healthy person, but I do suffer from seasonal allergies (pollen is my arch enemy). To add to my sneezing and running eyes, I got a nasty cold last week. I spent too many days with a stuffed up nose, a raging headache, and the itchy-est, watery-est eyes ever. To put it short and sweet: I felt like crap.

But a cold/allergies can't keep a good woman down...oh no! So here we go...here are my quick tips for looking presentable when all you want to do is crawl under the covers with a box of aloe tissues shoved up your nose:

1. After you take all your meds, be sure to exfoliate and then moisturize. The skin around my nose and lips tends to get scaly and gross when a cold/allergies strike. Exfoliate your lips by brushing them lightly with your toothbrush, and be sure to coat your irritated nasal area with moisturizer.
2. Lay down a light foundation. When I'm not feeling great and I have to go out into the world, I don't like spend a lot of time on makeup. I've been swearing by Laura Geller's Barely There Tinted Moisturizer. It makes my skin feel good and provides a light amount of color and coverage.
3. Add a little color. To give my skin a little lift, I swipe a bit of Pur Mineral's Mineral Glow over my cheeks and on my eyelids (instead of wearing eyeshadow).
4. Groom the brows. Colds and allergies mean weepy eyes for me (so lovely), so spending a lot of time applying makeup that will run down my face doesn't make a lot of sense. I do, however, take a moment to make sure my brows are in place and fill in what I need to using Anastasia's Universal Brow Definer.
5. Curl lashes and apply mascara--at your own peril! Even if I don't bust out the mascara, I'll at very least curl my lashes. Since mascara is my favorite beauty product, I tend to add a quick coat of whatever waterproof mascara I have in my kit. I just think it helps make my eyes look a little more open and a little less frightening.
6. Keep your lips hydrated! A stuffy nose means mouth-breathing, and mouth-breathing means chapped lips. I've been using (and love!) LypSyl LypMoisturizer.

That's all I do. 6 steps to looking less awful when you're feeling like death warmed over. What do you do when you don't feel good? Do you even bother with makeup?

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A Quick Note About Comments...

Like every other blogger I know, I love getting comments. I like it when what I write makes readers respond. Receiving comments is a little like getting an unexpected gift.

Well lately, some of the comments I've received have been nothing but spam. I do my best to moderate these comments and to delete them as I catch them, but I don't always win this battle. So, here's the deal: I'm leaving comments pretty much as-is. However, on posts older than 14 days. I have to approve comments. If you leave a comment on an older post, you won't see what you wrote right away. This will help me to keep some of the annoying spam under control.

And on another note: if you happen to see one of the spammy comments, for the love of Pete, please do NOT encourage the bad behavior. Most of the spammers seem to be selling "discount" designer items. Please don't click on their links, please don't buy their products. That will only encourage them.

Ok, and this is my final note: I suspect these spammers are selling rip-off designer products. Before you purchase a fake designer product (on the internet, off the street, etc.), consider what your supporting when you go cheap...read this: The Danger of Knock Offs.

Lectures over...play nice.

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Not Makeup Related...

but this is my blog and I get to write what I want.

Anyway...today is a sad day for your beauty blogger. See, my favorite band in the whole wide world of music is Type O Negative. And today, news is coming that their lead singer and bassist, the incredibly talented and insanely hot Peter Steele has died at the age of 48 from a heart attack.

This sucks. I never did get to see them live. And there probably won't be anything new from them again. Gothy girls around the world are in despair, myself include.

RIP, Peter. And thanks for all the great music.

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Last Chance To Enter!

Don't forget: I'm giving away some awesome skin care products, courtesy of Cosmetique. Be sure to click here to read the post and enter. I'll be announcing my winner tomorrow. Good luck!

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Happy 1000!

Holy cow! I just realized I hit the 1,000 post mark. I've been writing this blog since the summer of 2006 and I've written 1,000 entries. When I started this blog out, I had no idea how long it would go on. And I never thought that I'd reach so many people and have so stinking much to say about makeup!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, for reading, and for commenting. You all make this so much fun.

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Is It Friday Yet?

Wow. How did this week slip away from me so quickly? I have so many beauty product reviews, tips, etc. to share with you, but time is not on my side. Not this week, any way.

I'll be back Monday with a Shear Genius update and oodles of info for you. Until then, I leave you with a quote:

“Pretty is something you're born with. But beautiful, that's an equal opportunity adjective.”
~Anonymous

Have a great weekend!

Note: the photo above is of my maternal grandmother, a woman we referred to as GaGa well before there was a Lady GaGa. My GaGa died last October, at the age of 91. She was both pretty and beautiful.

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Bad Hair Days: We ALL Have 'Em

Hmmm....THIS Explains It All!

Holy cow. I know that April is fast approaching, but judging from the weather lately, I can't tell if it's Spring, Winter, or Fall. I know for a fact that it's not summer...sadly.

Yesterday was a dozy. Not only was it a Monday, but I had to work late AND we had a rainy/windy/whacky weather day to boot. Add to this combination the fact that I am growing my hair out and have official hit the awkward stage and WHAM! I had the worst hair day in recent memory.

It happens to all of us from time to time, but when you're trying to grow out your locks, it seems as though bad hair days are more frequent and more severe. For me a bad hair day means one side of my hair is curling up, the other side curling down, and everything in between has decided to curl, wave, or part incorrectly. Oh, and my roots are showing and my next hair appointment isn't for weeks.

So I ask you this: How do YOU deal with bad hair days? Do you opt for a hat? A pony tail? Say to hell with it and let your hair do it's own thing (that's my approach)? Or do you do something else entirely? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, because dealing with bad hair can really put you in a bad mood! Please leave me a comment and let me know your strategy for coping when bad hair happens to good people!

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Random Quote...Just Because

I'm super busy at the moment and though I have tons of beauty stuff to share with you, I just don't have the time to bang out a fully thought out post.

So instead, today I'm giving you an awesome beauty quote from the late great Kevyn Aucoin, makeup artist to the stars:

Life is too short to spend hoping that the perfectly arched eyebrow or hottest new lip shade will mask an ugly heart.

I like that, and I must say: I agree!

Happy Wednesday--I'll be back tomorrow with a Beauty Product of the Week review that will save you some cash.

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Psst....Degree is Getting Ready for Spring

Spring is just around the corner. Hell, here in the normally gray and rainy Seattle area, Spring seems to have already come. Last week (when I was off of work on Mid-Winter Break), it was super sunny and in the mid-50s every day, so much so that my allergies went bananas with all the budding plants and rising pollen rates.

Anyway, with Spring just around the corner, the folks over at Degree are getting ready to celebrate the beauty of the outdoors by joining forces with nature to launch new Degree Women Natureffects products. I'll have more information soon!

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I'm Baaack!

I had a wonderful week away from work, technology, and responsibility. Now I'm getting back into the swing of things and will have a full week of beauty blogging ahead of me, so stay tuned!

Also: I've finally bit the bullet and have started a facebook page for my blog. Click here to become a fan on facebook and tell all your beauty-loving friends. I'll update the facebook page with beauty quickies. Maybe I'll even have a facebook-only giveaway in the near future.

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About This Week...

This is going to be a crazy week for me. I have tons of stuff to share with you, but I also have the week off of work with my husband (it's also my bday in a few days), so my posts may be few and far between. I'll try to get a few posts ready, but things should get back to normal sometime next week.

Hang tight! In the meantime, you can always check out my older posts (I've been writing this blog since 2006, so there's plenty to ready!) or send me an email if you have any questions or topic suggestions (asklydia@hotmail.com).

Thanks!

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Men in Makeup

Here's a silly video for you this Friday. It's a tutorial on how men should (or should not!) wear makeup. Doesn't it suck that men get to go through life without worrying about makeup and skin care products? I guess I shouldn't complain too much--buying and using makeup is fun after all.

So, enjoy this video. Though I must say that I'd love to see a video on how RuPaul's Drag Race drag queens make their transformation from male to female. Those men can really work makeup magic!

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How Safe Are Your Cosmetics?

I don't watch Dr. Oz, mostly because I really, really, really dislike Oprah and all things Orpah (including Dr. Oz). Anyway, apparently on a recent Dr. Oz show, he was talking about how unsafe cosmetics are.

Here are my thoughts on the subject:

1. This whole thing gives me a headache. I intellectually know that I should care deeply about this. I understand that I should be very concerned with the amount of chemicals and toxins in beauty products, but for some reason, I just don't think about it. I should care, yet I don't lose any sleep over it. What's up with that?
2. Daytime TV always seems to hype up the dangers in common, everyday things to get ratings. Does Dr. Oz really care about chemicals and toxins in our cosmetic products? Maybe, but I bet he cares more about having women tune in to watch what deadly products are lying around our homes. TV is the land of shock-journalism, so you have to calm down a bit after watching segments about deadly products.
3. If you are concerned about what's in your cosmetics, you should go to the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetic Database to check out what you're putting on your skin. They analyze ingredients and provide a great deal of information about your favorite products.

The bottom line: you need to be an informed consumer. Yes, there are probably some ingredients you should avoid. And yes, some products may be harmful. But you also need to balance out common sense. Only take risks you're comfortable with, but don't go through life being afraid.

So tell me: do you worry about this topic? Let me know what you do to educate yourself.

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